Executive Ticket #6

Aiden Cox & Victoria Gaibor

"Driving change for Riddle."

Aiden & Victoria's photos were captured by:

Andrew Harker / The Avion

Meet Your President Candidate Aiden!

Aiden Cox

Graduate, MS Aerospace Engineering

"I am Aiden Cox, a graduate student in Aerospace Engineering looking to be your SGA President. I have been here for 5 years, and I have watched the SGA and Riddle grow and change over this time. As President, I will use what I have seen and heard throughout my time here to improve the SGA, learning from both the successes and failures of previous SGAs. I want to make the SGA more transparent in what it does, as it feels the window into what goes on in the executive suite has become cloudy. I believe that the SGA is at its best when the students know what is going on and have influence over the changes made. I will also expand the shuttle network, which I have heard a desire to expand since its inception. Transparency, combined with approachable leaders, will allow the SGA to represent the need of the students better, as elected leaders are supposed to do. As SGA President, I will make this a reality."

  • What is your platform for this campaign? How does it stand out?

    "My platform is to improve the transparency of the SGA, something that I believe has been slowly disappearing throughout the years. I will implement this by making it easier for students to express their comments and concerns through town hall-like forums and an anonymous complaints box in the SGA suite. This will help bring attention to issues facing the student body to be able to resolve them with the administration if applicable, as well as releasing information on the progress of complaints so that students can see what the progress is instead of having to wait and hopefully get an answer. I will also release the SGA budget so that students can see where their SGA fees go and how the club funding is broken down to allow for greater transparency between the SGA and the student body. I also plan to improve the shuttle network to access more apartments and have shopping locations to allow for greater mobility of students both on and off campus to reduce the constant strain on parking, especially in the mornings. This will also help the students on campus who do not have cars by giving them a greater range of off-campus locations to visit. Allowing students to get to local grocery stores without needing a car, or a friend with one, is an important step since the ZipCars were removed from campus, and nothing has come up to replace them, leaving a gap in school-provided transportation."

  • What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

    "What makes me qualified is that I've spent the last 5 years here and have seen what has worked and what does not work through the many changes and evolutions here. I still remember a time before the new Student Union was done, I have watched Riddle grow and change, and I wish to incorporate the best parts I have seen of the previous SGAs along with my experience as a student, Graduate Teaching Assistant, and Treasurer of Gamer's Guild, along with the connections I have with people both involved and uninvolved with RSO's and SGA. I have seen campus through many different lenses from my time here, and combined with my VP, Victoria, we have a wide lens on the student body and how its needs change throughout such a large and diverse group of students. As a graduate student, I also have more time to commit to the position. I will be available to listen to students' complaints and work to improve the SGA for everyone. Through my experience as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, I have gotten to work with the administration and faculty to help students. I will use this experience to continue to help students as SGA President."

  • As President, you would be a connection between students and the Administration. What do you do to ensure the voices of students are heard?

    "I think the first issue to address is that there is no easy way to voice complaints to the SGA President. I have heard numerous complaints about the administration but have yet to see a way to voice them easily. I will expand upon the ideas of town halls to enable better communication with the President, which can then move up to the administration. I will improve the transparency between the President and the administration so that students can see the progress being made on their comments or concerns.

    As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, I have had the opportunity to work with the administration before, so I understand the ins and outs of it, on both the student side and on the faculty side, from talking to professors, and I will use this experience and knowledge to bridge the gap between the students and the administration. I will open the lines of communication between the administration and students to allow students to see the processes that go on and hold me accountable for the promises and solutions I propose."

  • How will you improve the SGA to better serve the student body?

    "The first step in improving the SGA to serve the student body is to make yourself known, so that people can tell you what they want when they want to. I will streamline the connection between the SGA suite and the student body so that students can voice their needs at public forums and in private suggestion boxes. The student body's needs are ever-changing, as I know from experience of progressing through my undergraduate degree at Riddle, but the first step is knowing what the student body needs. This is why I picked Victoria as my VP, because she is younger than me, and she can help bring the needs of the newer classes to my attention and prevent me from focusing too much on upperclassmen. If elected, I will try to fulfill everyone's needs as much as possible, starting with adding new SGA shuttle lines and fixing a complaint I have heard many times, especially as parking keeps getting worse. I will expand the shuttle lines and add new locations like Walmart and Buc-ee's to help reduce the need for cars on campus."

  • What does the SGA mean to you?

    "SGA has meant many different things to me over the years. When I first started here, it was just an office in the old Student Union that had free coffee. As I started to get involved in RSOs and became treasurer of Gamers' Guild, SGA became much more important. Going in for my first allocation session, I was nervous since I was going into a room and asking people I'd never met for money, but after starting it was a very down to Earth experience and overall, a very friendly one too. SGA to me should be a welcoming place to students and I think it has drifted away from that over time. I want to correct this course, because any public office is ultimately a position of service to the people who voted for you, and being welcoming and approachable is the first step of that. That is ultimately the reason I ended up knowing the people in SGA, and started paying attention to how it grew over time. A President who cannot be approached cannot represent the people who placed them in power, and if elected I will bring the SGA back to a place where it serves the whole student body not just those in charge."

Meet Your Vice President Candidate Victoria!

Victoria Gaibor

Sophomore, BS Astronomy & Astrophysics

"My name is Victoria Gaibor, an Astronomy and Astrophysics student from New York City, who is excited to make strides so that ERAU is more diverse in every way and a community where everyone feels heard. I am ready to work for the student body and support your endeavors in any way I can. As part of my campaign with Aiden, I promise to bring new ideas to improve and support the student body if elected as your SGA Vice President. One idea includes adding more shuttle buses, specifically routed to supermarkets and convenience stores off-campus. Although I was new to Embry-Riddle this year, I immediately became involved with multiple clubs, programs, and organizations. The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, AcaBellas, Engineers Without Borders, and many other campus organizations I am proud to be a part of. I am currently the Fundraising Chair for EWB. I hope to have your vote so I can serve you next year as the 2023-2024 Student Government Association Vice President."

  • What makes your Executive Ticket stand out?

    "There are many reasons which make my Executive Ticket stand out. For starters, I tend to have a different perspective when creating solutions. I believe that my musical background helped me become a creative, outside-the-box thinker. Constantly thinking about how something can be altered in a new and better way. I'm also focused on hearing everyone's suggestions and concerns to tailor solutions to the student body's wants and needs. I don't want anyone to think their concerns are invalid or feel pressured not to say anything. Being a Hispanic woman in a not-so-popular STEM major, I understand what it's like not to be heard and scared to speak up. And as a first-generation college student, I also understand how necessary a strong community is so no one feels alone and overwhelmed. My Executive Ticket strives to bring change for the better and the people because no one can relate more than I do."

  • What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

    "I am heavily involved in multiple clubs, programs, and organizations. I am currently the head Fundraising chair in Engineers Without Borders, using my communication skills to seek funding for our current project. In the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers, I am an active member of the fundraising committee and achieved a summer internship as a freshman by using my networking skills and taking advantage of the resources this club offers. This semester, I've been nominated to become part of the Emerging Leadership Program. Their goal is to refine my leadership skills and prepare me for a leadership position like this one. As a freshman who was assigned mentors during my first semester, I learned that I want to do the same for new incoming students. I'm sympathetic, collaborative, open-minded, and passionate. I was specifically taught the skills and meaning of being a leader. I'm highly active and known on campus, and I always listen to what my peers say. Whether it's what they wish the campus had to offer or changes they want to see made. I believe that I was the skills, personality, and determination to drive change if given the Vice President position."

  • As the Vice President, you have a supportive role to the President as well as being the head of the Senate. How will you use your position to ensure the needs of students are met?

    "The Vice President's primary role is to support the President, and I plan to use this opportunity to work closely with the President to prioritize the needs of students. By sharing our collective ideas and perspectives, we can come up with solutions and initiatives that are in the best interest of students. As the head of the Senate, I have access to a vast network of student groups and organizations. I plan to use this platform to engage with these groups and understand their concerns and needs. As the head of the Senate, I plan to work with the senators to make a transparent relationship between each other. One where we are all open and actively communicating and are open to expressing their needs, ideas, and feedback. In addition, I would like to involve students in the decision-making process to ensure their voices are heard and their needs are met."

  • How would you use the position of Vice President to create a positive and productive environment in the SGA and around campus?

    "As the Vice President of the SGA, there are several ways to leverage the position to create a positive and productive environment both within the organization and around campus. One of the most important roles of the Vice President is to facilitate communication and collaboration among SGA members, as well as between the SGA and other student groups and clubs. This can be achieved by organizing regular meetings, forums, and events that encourage dialogue, feedback, and the exchange of ideas. I can help build trust, respect, and a sense of belonging among SGA members and the wider campus community by creating a culture of openness and inclusivity.

    Another important aspect is to promote transparency and accountability within the SGA. This can involve maintaining clear and accurate records of SGA meetings, decisions, and activities, as well as communicating regularly with SGA members and the wider campus community about the organization's goals, progress, and challenges. By being transparent and accountable, I can help build trust and credibility for the SGA, and ensure that it is seen as a legitimate and effective representative of the student body. Overall, the Vice President has a critical role to play in creating a positive and productive environment in the SGA and around campus. By fostering open communication and collaboration, advocating for student needs and interests, promoting transparency and accountability, and building relationships and partnerships, I can help build a more engaged, empowered, and effective SGA that is working toward the betterment of the campus community."

  • What does the SGA mean to you?

    "The SGA is responsible for advocating for student needs, promoting student engagement, and enhancing the overall student experience on campus. For many students including me, the SGA plays an essential role in our academic and social lives. I joined a lot of student groups this freshman year, which are all funded by the SGA. It allowed me to truly immerse myself on campus, create friends, attend unforgettable events where I've made life-long friends, and get the opportunities to grow my leadership skills.

    Speaking of leadership, I also think SGA means experience and opportunity. Being a part of the SGA can provide students with valuable leadership experience that will carry them beyond their college years. Serving in leadership positions can help students develop important skills like communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. Overall, I think the SGA is essential to the university community. And its meaning to me is to provide a voice and representation for the student body and foster a sense of collaboration and engagement among students."